Indie Game Mini Review: NightSky (PC)

I've never bought an "Indie game" from Xbox Live, but since I bought my new laptop and got acquainted with the joys of Steam I've found Indie games a lot more accessible.  This particular game grabbed my attention firstly because of a recommendation and also because I was really drawn to the artstyle.  Anyone who has played Limbo will feel instantly at home with the dark foreground and twilight backgrounds along with frankly brilliant ambient sound effects.

The actual gameplay is nothing like Limbo, but NightSky could also be described as a mesh of platform and puzzle genres.  The "story" (very loose use of the phrase there) is that an unnamed boy one day finds a mysterious and beautiful sphere at the beach one day and brings it home with him.  Ever since that first night he has been having the most surreal of dreams - presumably the levels you play out are those dreams.  Really this just sets up a quaint scenario from which the game can kick on with it's wonderful atmosphere.

The gameplay sees you take control of the sphere with only the left and right arrow keys to roll it in one direction or the other.  NightSky's physics system is great and gives the ball real momentum that can make it tricky to handle at times, but entirely believable.  In later levels two more buttons are introduced that for the most part allow you to control the speed of the ball to a higher degree, but can take on other powers in some levels.

The game is split up into 11 worlds, each of these further divided into bite size levels.  Rather than the typical approach of platform games where the screen scrolls with your character, NightSky has a bit of an old school take on things which each level consisting of 3 static screens that you must traverse using your skillset that expands as the game progresses.  Sometimes it's as simple as rolling the ball up a ramp and over a jump, while other times you need to manipulate obstacles to either clear a path for you or create a new one.

Further on in the game the levels get more complicated as moving platforms, levers and even vehicles for the sphere come into play.  While at times the game can get quite challenging it never gets to hair pulling levels of frustration.



Overall the game is a joy to play - one that is more about enjoying the ride than frantically fighting to reach your destination.  The game is a relatively short one - I spent around 3 hours playing it but the way it's designed it can be enjoyed in small chunks probably moreso than just blasting through it in one sitting.  If you take the time to let this game soak in it will be one that will stick in your mind for years to come and I'd imagine one that will be just as fun to revisit some time down the line.

Thanks to this game I am well and truly on board with Indie Games and the experiences they can offer so if you're a bit cagey why not give it a shot?  One final mention for the soundtrack - to be honest if you bought the game and just let it sit on the title screen as you wound down for the evening it would be money well spent as you'd be hard pressed to find more chilled out music anywhere on the internet.